Breast cancer cells produce tenascin C as a metastatic niche component to colonize the lungs

Tenascin C is an extracellular matrix protein previously linked to breast cancer metastasis. Here the authors uncover how tenascin C promotes the fitness of metastasis-initiating cells by sustaining the stem and survival signaling pathways NOTCH and Wnt through specific regulation of Msi1 and Lgr5, respectively.